BJ, Sierra Delta

BJ Ganem, founder of Sierra Delta, a national nonprofit that helps veterans build purposeful relationships with dogs through individualized training plans, grants, and a veteran community. Ganem explains why Sierra Delta gives veterans agency to choose their goals and trainers, and argues that meaningful support should create opportunities for service rather than impose a one-size-fits-all model.

• Sierra Delta’s Life Buddy program offers veterans up to $3,500 toward professional dog training aligned with their individual needs and goals.
• Veterans choose their dog, trainer, and training objectives, from everyday manners and emotional support to scent work, herding, sports, or service tasks.
• A four-week cohort helps veterans assess their lives and dogs, explore training options, interview trainers, and develop a plan for review and funding.
• Life Force invites veterans to mentor peers, host local meetups, and help grow a community rooted in continued service.
• Ganem says broad access and veteran choice matter because rigid eligibility and one-size-fits-all programs can leave people feeling rejected or stripped of agency.
• He shares his experience of combat injury, a below-knee amputation, retained shrapnel, and an eight-year process to reach a 100% disability rating.
• Ganem describes dog training as a relationship and routine that support both the handler and the dog, rather than treating a dog as a medical device.
• The conversation explores ways trained dogs and veteran networks could serve local communities, including search support, shelter visits, and companionship in veterans’ homes.
• Ganem outlines Sierra Delta’s fundraising needs and invites donors, sponsors, trainers, and volunteers to help expand its reach.